Jindal touts Perry, wins fans

CLINTON, Iowa — Rick Perry’s bus tour took him to a handful of Iowa towns Tuesday as part of an effort to reintroduce himself to the state. But Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor who accompanied him to bolster Perry’s image as a serious chief executive, inadvertently stole some of the spotlight.

Even as Jindal played his dutiful role as a validator of Perry’s accomplishments as Texas governor, some Iowans couldn’t help but notice that the 40-year-old himself seemed awfully presidential.

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“He’s a wonderfully sincere young man. I think he’s done a great job so far and I hope to see him go a lot farther in the future. I think he wants to take a little more time. But whenever he’s ready, I think the country’s ready,” said Kathy Quinton, who trained her camera phone on Jindal as he entered a bakery in DeWitt.

Vinje Dahl, a Davenport auto dealer, also said he was still undecided following Perry’s 20-minute speech at a riverside marina here, but dubbed Jindal “a hero.”

“Just by bringing his stature and demeanor,” he lifts Perry’s credibility, Dahl said.

Jindal, who cruised to reelection this October with nominal opposition, declined a 2012 presidential run last fall. But the country’s first Indian-American governor will undoubtedly be a top GOP presidential prospect in 2016 if President Barack Obama is reelected.

On Tuesday, though, Jindal sought to alleviate any concerns that Perry isn’t ready for primetime.

“I’ve seen Rick Perry lead. We now have a president of the United States who gives a great speech,” Jindal told a crowd of about 40 at a downtown hotel in Maquoketa.

“This is not about who’s the best debater, it’s not about who can give you the best speech or who looks the best on TV,” he said later in Clinton, an event which drew about 60 attendees. “Rick Perry’s got the executive experience we need in the White House.”

With a national following of his own, Jindal is among the most recognizable and prominent Republican officeholders aligned with Perry. For those attracted to Perry but still hesitant to fully embrace him after a series of dismal debate performance in the fall, Jindal provides the cover of an articulate and popular governor — one whom many conservatives envision on a future national ticket.